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NPR editor Petra Mayer was visiting a friend in New York City on Saturday night and found herself in an unusual place: as part of a news story. As she explains in an essay, they were heading back to her friend's place when the radio reports began talking about some kind of bomb going off in Chelsea. They had to walk the last part of the way because of the huge police presence, and that's when Mayer spotted something on the sidewalk near her friend's building. "Hey," she said," there's a pressure cooker." Then she saw it was duct-taped shut and had wires attached to something. Her friend called 911, and they heard police removing it a little later.

"I know we weren't the only people who saw that pressure cooker, and we weren't the only people who called it in," writes Mayer. "I don't know if it would ever have gone off—maybe it was a dud. But I saw it, I walked right past it, and that's the thing I can't quite shake today." As rattled as that makes her, however, one other thing helps: "I can also think about the fact that—last night, at least—no one else in this beautiful city got hurt." Click for her full essay.

I lived in that neighborhood, attended university there, worked there, and shopped there. Looks like my decision to move out of Manhattan was a good one. Ditto the World Trade Center. i worked on design projects in the Trades, liked to shop at the indoor mall, and hung out in the outdoor plazas. The most attacked areas in Manhattan are the places where I spent most of my time.

Veteran.Joe

Sep 20, 2016 7:39 AM CDT

ILLEGAL TOBACCO DRUG KILLING 1,400 American addicts and another 180 INNOCENT citizens (who were exposed to TOXIC TOBACCO SMOKE) EVERY DAY and Noiser is worried about a "pressure cooker." BAN THE ILLEGAL TOBACCO DRUG, NOW AND PROSECUTE THE CRIMINAL TOBACCO PUSHERS, TOO! Then, we can worry about the "pressure cookers" and whatever. http://medicolegal.tripod.com/tobaccomurder.htm

$82496178

Sep 20, 2016 7:39 AM CDT

Points out the value of an alert citizen. If you see something, say something.